Chivalry eBook

You alone, I think, of all persons living, have learned,
as you have settled by so many instances, to rise
above mortality in such a testing, and unfailingly
to merit by your conduct the plaudits and the adoration
of our otherwise dissentient world. You have often
spoken in the stead of Destiny, with nations to abide
your verdict; and in so doing have both graced and
hallowed your high vicarship. If I forbear to
speak of this at greater length, it is because I dare
not couple your well-known perfection with any imperfect
encomium. Upon no plea, however, can any one
forbear to acknowledge that he who seeks to write of
noble ladies must necessarily implore at outset the
patronage of her who is the light and mainstay of
our age.

Therefore to you, madame—­most excellent
and noble lady, to whom I love to owe both loyalty
and love—­I dedicate this little book.

I

THE FIRST NOVEL.—­ALIANORA OF PROVENCE,
COMING IN DISGUISE AND IN ADVERSITY TO A CERTAIN CLERK,
IS BY HIM CONDUCTED ACROSS A HOSTILE COUNTRY; AND
IN THAT TROUBLED JOURNEY ARE MADE MANIFEST TO EACH
THE SNARES WHICH HAD BEGUILED THEM AFORETIME.

The Story of the Sestina

In this place we have to do with the opening tale
of the Dizain of Queens. I abridge, as afterward,
at discretion; and an initial account of the Barons’
War, among other superfluities, I amputate as more
remarkable for veracity than interest. The result,
we will agree at outset, is that to the Norman cleric
appertains whatever these tales may have of merit,
whereas what you find distasteful in them you must
impute to my delinquencies in skill rather than in
volition.

Within the half hour after de Giars’ death (here
one overtakes Nicolas mid-course in narrative) Dame
Alianora thus stood alone in the corridor of a strange
house. Beyond the arras the steward and his lord
were at irritable converse.

First, “If the woman be hungry,” spoke
a high and peevish voice, “feed her. If
she need money, give it to her. But do not annoy
me.”

“This woman demands to see the master of the
house,” the steward then retorted.

“O incredible Boeotian, inform her that the
master of the house has no time to waste upon vagabonds
who select the middle of the night as an eligible
time to pop out of nowhere. Why did you not do
so in the beginning, you dolt?” The speaker
got for answer only a deferential cough, and very
shortly continued: “This is remarkably vexatious.
Vox et praeterea nihil—­which signifies,
Yeck, that to converse with women is always delightful.
Admit her.” This was done, and Dame Alianora
came into an apartment littered with papers, where
a neat and shriveled gentleman of fifty-odd sat at
a desk and scowled.